Financial Aid: Interim Leadership

Watch David and Herald talk about interim placements. (7 min)

Happy New Year!  It’s January 2, and the financial aid director has just announced she’ll be moving out of state in two months because her husband has landed a new job..

David Busse and Herald Johnson have nearly 75 years of combined experience working in financial aid offices, much of that time at the director level. Since “retiring,” both David and Herald have filled interim financial aid leadership positions, sometimes on a week’s notice. A few of the places at which they’ve pinch hit include St. Mary’s College in Indiana, St. John’s College in Annapolis, the University of Portland, and the California Institute of Technology.

As David says in the video above, he gets a “rush” out of taking command of each new financial aid operation because, despite his years of experience, each set of circumstances and individuals is different and offers fresh challenges and opportunities.

Their incarnations as interim financial aid directors have ranged from eight weeks to two years. Depending on the needs, David and Herald have:

• provided oversight and supervision for staff and the operations as the financial aid office works to support admitted students, their families, and the admissions program consistent with the college or university’s policies and values;
• identified training or operational improvements that could strengthen the financial aid program and provide for a smooth and successful transition when a new director is appointed;
• took primary responsibility for packaging new students, continuing students, and/or graduate students;
• assured that colleges are following federal and state guidelines in the awarding of funds;   
• worked with students and families to help them understand how they can afford to finance their education and to reinforce the enduring value of an investment in the education for which each institution is known; and
• trained and mentored financial aid counselors and other staff and acted as communications channels up and down the administrative structure.